1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to use of a child's safety harness that contains a code for identification of the child, and in particular, to a unified safety harness for supporting the child's upper body which has a self-contained tether belt and a precoded emblem for identification of the child and adult upon registration thereof.
2. Description of Prior Art
The fear of losing a child is a very devastating thought. It is also devastating to think that a lost child could be claimed by a person who does not have authority to do so.
Any person responsible for the safety of children knows of the difficulties in managing a child in a crowded or dangerous area. Many methods have been used in locating missing children in large or crowded areas, such as, amusement parks, shopping malls, zoos, beaches, at concerts, etc. However, there is then the problem of properly identifying the child after being found and of proving that the person taking the child is the proper guardian. This is particularly true, in the case of a small toddler, who may recognize a person, but this person may not be the proper representative of the child. It is imperative that the persons responsibel for the child should be able to produce positive proof that the child is really their own.
When children reach the age of walking, it would be of great value if, parents and guardians have a device to control them that is pleasing to the eye, fairly comfortable to the child while permitting freedom of movement but still keeping the child within close range, and also permitting the adult to have freedom of both hands for use in carrying parcels and doing necessary things. It would also be of paramount value if the device possessed a means for positive identification of the child and also of the person or persons responsible for the child.
Harnesses have been used previously, yet generally parents shun the use of such, probably because children do not like them and for other problems associated therewith.
Various harness devices for children have been proposed. Such a device in U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,017 to be placed on the child only when being used as a safety device and then must be removed because its tether cannot be releasably secured to the harness. Its adjustment system is complicated because of adjustable straps in addition to an adjustable waist band. Its plain strap structure does not appear to lend support to the child's upper body. It appears that the device can be easily removed which is not a good safety feature.
Other harnesses as well as identification procedures have been proposed in the past but none of these appear to be completely satisfactory.